@68 - You're kidding, right? If there's already an expectation for financial assistance in place, it's irresponsible and deceitful to go against that. Yes, OP could pay his way through college, but getting stuck in unnecessary debt because your parents broke what's essentially a promise is a shitty position to be in. The FML is less about money and more about the lack of compassion.

You know who's charging 65g's per year in 2013-2014? Harvard. And presumably other top tier schools. That's all inclusive, tuition, housing, books, food etc.
The schools that will end up with you 250k in debt are generally the ones that will help you make so much money when you graduate that that 250k is paid off reasonably quickly.
If you're not going to an A grade school and you're paying that much, you're probably getting gouged. Just sayin'.
That being said, school ain't cheap. And it is a dick move to burn your college fund.

Have any of you seed how college's financial aid works? If you have no savings, it'll say you owe, say, $5,000 per year. If you have $4,000 in savings, suddenly you owe $6,000 per year (assuming full-need college). It sounds counter-intuitive, but with most colleges switching to almost entirely need-based aid the hobbit house is a better use of the savings than college.

Most colleges i've seen are 45-65k, Unless you're in-state. As for harvard, princeton, yale, and some other good schools, they have a no loan policy so you can graduate with absolutely no debt. They do take into account any sort of college funds and your family income in determining how much financial aid is necessary. I wonder how the financial aid office will think when they hear where those funds went.

Edit:
To elaborate, I meant "Forget the bat, just invite a few dwarves and they'll tear the house apart".
OP - get even using battle dwarves, and then move on. It sucks that you parents prioritize a hobbit house over your future, you have my sympathy.

Yeah, I do actually #47. Finish sixth form, join the Royal Signals regiment of the British Army and serve for a few years, with the money move to Canada and join the police force. Honestly, I don't want to go to University/College because I have no need of the qualifications. Happy, smartarse?

Seriously. Like kids are entitled for their parents to pay their college? It was the parents money they worked their asses off for it and after all the expenses of raising a family you bitch because "they" spent "your" money? What did you do to earn if?